System for reefing and furling staysails

ABSTRACT

Spool sections are rotatably mounted on the stay for the sail. Tongue and groove connections cause the sections to rotate in unison. The luff of the sail is received in a longitudinal slot which is located aligned in each section. A drum is attached to the lowermost section and a furling line wound on the drum. By pulling the furling line and releasing the sheet (corner rope) of the sail, the sail may be wound on the spool sections and furled. Reverse of the operation unfurls the sail. By stopping the furling or unfurling operation at an intermediate position, the sail may be reefed to any desired extent.

United States Patent [1 1 Crall SYSTEM FOR REEFING AND FURLING STAYSAILS [76] Inventor: Donald H. Crall, 1580 Oleander Ave., Chula Vista, Calif. 92011 [22} Filed: Nov. 15, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 198,707

[52] US. Cl. 114/106 511 int. Cl 3631: 9/04 [58] Field of Search 114/102, 104, 105, 114/106,107, 39

[56] I References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,611,969 10/1971 0011 114/106 2,107,303 2/1938 Ljul'lgsllomnn 114/106 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 24,269 1913 Great Britain 1 14/ 106 Primary Examiner-Milton Buchler Assistant ExaminerStuart M. Goldstein Attorney-Julian Caplan [5 7] ABSTRACT Spool sections are rotatably mounted on the stay for the sail. Tongue and groove connections cause the sections to rotate in unison. The lufi of the sail is received in a longitudinal slot which is located aligned in each section. A drum is attached to the lowermost section and a furling line wound on the drum. By pulling the furling line and releasing the sheet (corner rope) of the sail, the sail may be wound on the spool sections and furled. Reverse of the operation unfurls the sail. By stopping the furling or unfurling operation at an intermediate position, the sail may be reefed to any desired extent.

10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEU 73.

INVENTOR.

DONALD H- CRALL BY 1 i and hence changing jib sails while sailing'is frequent. In-

rough seas, this is a difficultand hazardous operation. Safety lines and pulpits are required for ocean racing to protect sailors while changing sails.

The conventional jib sail has snap shackles sewn to the luff of the sail, usually evenly spaced about three feet apart. The sail is anchored at its tack. The luff is snapped onto the jib stay and a halliard is-attached to the head of the sail. The sail is hoisted by the halliard which is then made fast to a cleat at the base of the mast. The only adjustment of the position of the sail is made with the sheet. It is necessary to change sails if more or less sail area is desired.

It is a principal featuretof the present inventionthat means is provided whicheliminates the need to change sails to suit wind conditions. The amount of sail area exposed is readily adjusted in accordance with the present invention without changing the sail.

n the otherhand, other than the elimination of the halliard, no other changesin the. standard rigging of the boat is required. Furth'enit is possibleto use one large jib sail for all purposes. I

The present invention provides means for winding the jib sail spools and for unwinding the same, the extent of winding and unwindingbeing readily controlled from the cockpit of the boat, thereby regulating theexposed sail area. The sail is rolled smoothly on the spools even when the sail is a large genoa type.

A principal feature of the invention is the fact that use of the invention makes sailing much safer than changing sails, It is unnecessary for the sailor to leave the cockpit in order to furl and unfurl the staysail, and hence the danger of falling overboard is reduced.

Another feature of the invention is -the facility with which the entire assembly may be installed from the boat deck without removing, adjustingor modifying the standard rigging in any manner.

In using the invention, loading and tension on the rigging are in no way increasedJn fact there is a slight reduction in such tension because the spools support themselves and the tension of the jibsail. This eliminates the need for the halliard and the loading of same.

Another feature of the invention is the fact that the shape of the sail is controlled through all of its reeling points due to the fact that the sail winds on the spools. The spools may be made of different diameters in various positions along the length of the sail and hence the extra fullness of large genoa sails and the like is controlled through reefing points by making the spool diameter larger where such fullness occurs.

Another feature of the invention is that although the spool sections are locked together for turning in unison, nevertheless the connections between the sections are sufficiently flexible to accommodate the contour of the stay under wind conditions.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings in which similar characters of reference represent corresponding parts in each of the several views.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a sailboat on which the present invention is installed showing the jib sail in unfurled position in solid lines and in reefed position in dot-and-dash lines.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a plurality of spool sections assembled on a jib stay, the view being partly broken away to conserve space and partly broken away in section to reveal internal construction.

FIG. 4 is a further enlarged fragmentary view of the drum used to turn the spools and some of the associated elements, the view being partly broken away to reveal internal construction.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the drum as viewed substantially along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

In the accompanying drawings a pleasure-type sailboat 11 is illustrated more-or-less schematically in FIG. 1. Such boat has a hull 12 having cockpit 13 adjacent the stern and having a central mast 14. Main sail 16 is shown in phantom in the accompanying drawing in order to avoid obscuring the staysail, but it will be readily understood that such sail 16 is supported at its lower end or tack by a boom 17. A sailboat may have one or more staysails; and as illustrated herein, there is a single jib sail 18 which is supported by a jib stay or wire cable 19 which extends from the top of mast 14 to a position adjacent the bow of hull 12. There is conventionally a turnbuckle 21 which is used to tighten the stay 19. The lower rear comer of sail 18 is conventionally controlled by a sheet 22 or rope which is fastened to a grommet 23 in the comer of the sail and which extends into the cockpit l3 and is held in a position of adjustment by means of a cleat (not shown).

In accordance with the present invention, a plurality of spool sections 26 are installed on the stay 19 and used to roll and unroll the sail 18 as hereinafter explained. As is best shown in FIG. 3, the diameters of these spool sections 26 may be selected in such manner as to control fullness of the sail 18 at certain locations, particularly when a large genoa type sail is employed. It will be understood, however, that the sections 26 may be of the same diameter if desired. Directing attention to FIG. 3, the uppermost and lowermost sections are designated by reference numeral 26, the next largest sections are designated 26a and the largest, or central, section 26b. Aside from the differences in diameters (and more importantly circumferences) these sections are essentially the same. The lowermost section 26c is of special construction hereinafter described in detail.

Each spool section 26 has a central hole which accommodates the stay 19. The central hole is slightly larger than the stay 19 so that free rotation of the spool 26 is permitted. Actually the central hole constitutes the inner end of a longitudinally extending radial slot 27. Adjacent the inner end of slot 27 is a transverse longitudinal slot 28, which accommodates a locking strip 29 which is preferably of rectangular cross-section and the location of the transverse slot 28 is such that there is clearance for turning of section 26 relative to the stay 19 (see espectially FlG. 27. To install the spool sections on stay 19, the locking strip 29 is removed permitting the slot 27 to be slipped on to the stay 19. Thereupon, the strip 29 is installed from the end of each section 26 and thereafter the spool remains on the stay 19. Preferably the strips 29 are approximately the same length as the sections 26 but are staggered so that the strips 29 bridge the joints between sections 26. Sail 18 conventionally is provided with a luff 31 which is similar to a hem and which receives a luff rope 32 which gives the luff strength. The shackles and grommets usually on the luff are preferably removed. The luff 31 is inserted into the slot 27 outward of locking strip 29 and is secured in place by the use of a plurality of pins 33 which are driven into the sections 26 from notches 34 formed in the periphery of the spool sections, the pins passing through the luff 31 and thereby securing the sail relative to the spool sections with desired tension in the sail.

In order to turn the spool sections, the lowermost section 260 is provided with a drum 36. The lower end of section 26c is formed with a smaller diameter neck 37. Top drum flange 38 is slipped over stay 19 and fits at the top of shoulder of neck 37. A spacer 39 consisting of two sections which are split by diametrically opposed split lines 40 and which are secured together by various means space apart the top flange 38 and the bottom flange 41. Screws 42 are threaded through bottom flange 41, spacer sections 39 and spool section 26c so that the drum is assembled as an integral part of lowermost spool section 260.

One convenient means for assembling the drum 36 on the stay 19 without detaching the stay is best illustrated in FIG. 5. Thus the flanges 38 and 41 are formed with radial slots 43 which extend to the central hole in the flange. By aligning slots 27 of section 260 and slots 43 and prior to installing the spacer 39, the drum 36 may be installed on the stay 19. Thereupon the flanges 38 and 41 are turned so that the slots 27 and 43 are no longer aligned, the split spacer sections 39 are installed and the screws 42 applied. Thereupon, a wedge 44 which is complementary to the slot 43 is put in place to close off the slot 43 and screws 46 are installed, locking wedge 44 in place.

It will be observed that when the drum 36 is turned, the lowermost spool section 260 turns with it. In order that all of the sections 26, 26a, 26b turn with the section 26c, each section at its bottom edge is preferably formed with a rectangular cross-section tongue extending diametrically across the section and each section is likewise formed with a complementary groove 52 at its top edge. As best shown in FIG. 3, when the sections are assembled, the tongues 51 fit into the grooves 52, causing the various sections to turn in unison but also permitting a certain amount of flexibility between the individual sections which accommodates the contour of the stay 19. It will be understood that under wind conditions, the stay 19 is not always straight but tends to bow.

In order to furl and unfurl the sail, a furling line 48 is wound around drum 36. The end of the furling line 48 is directed by means of guides 49 to the cockpit 13 and attached to a cleat (not shown).

In assembly and installation of the device, the uppermost spool section 26 is installed on the jib stay 19, working from the boat deck. The first locking strip 29 is placed in the slot 28 thereby preventing the spool section from being removed from the stay. The luff 31 at the top of sail 18 is then inserted in the slot 27 and secured by pins 33 spaced a few inches apart or by some other suitable means. The spool sections 29, 29a, 29b are then installed progressively and raised making sure that the luff of the sail has the proper tension as it is raised and sure that it will fly and roll up smoothly on the spool. As each section is installed, the tongue 51 of the previous section is installed in the groove 52 and the locking strip 29 of the previous section is installed in the transverse slot 28. The manner of installing the lowermost spool section 26c and the drum 36 have already been described. A split washer 54 may be installed on the bottom of stay 19 to provide a bearing between drum 36 and tumbuckle 21, thereby supporting the assembly on the stay. Therafter the furling line 48 is wound on the drum 36. This completes the installation of the sail. It will be understood that selection of the diameters of the spool sections 26 is made based upon the contour of the sail 18.

In use of the sail, as has been explained, it is not necessary to raise and lower the sail nor to change sails. To unfurl the sail, the furling line 48 is loosened and the sheet 22 is tightened, thereby unrolling the sail 18 from the spool sections 26 similar to a windowshade. The sail may be fully unwound or it may be unwound only to a intermediate position such as is shown in dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 1. Whenever it is necessary to change the amount of sail exposed, the adjustment is made by tightening and loosening the lines 48 and 22 the required amount. The unused portion of the sail is neatly and smoothly wound on the spool sections. At the end of the voyage, the sail may be completely wound up on the spool sections by means of the furling line 48, thereby making it unnecessary to remove and store the sail.

What is claimed is:

1. A system for furling a staysail comprising a plurality of spool sections, each said section formed with a longitudinally extending central aperture to receive a stay and a longitudinally extending slot extending inward from the periphery to the central axis of said section along the length of said section to receive an edge of a sail, first means for rotatably mounting said sections end-to-end on a stay to rotate in unison with said openings of said sections in alignment, second means for fastening said edge of a sail to each of said sections along the length of said section, and third means for rotating said sections about said stay to furl said sail.

2. A system according to claim 1 in which the ends of said sections are formed with mating tongues and grooves, whereby torque applied to one said section is transmitted to the next section.

3. A system according to claim 1 in which said longitudinal slot is dimensioned to accept said stay, said slot also forming said central aperture.

4. A system according to claim 3 which further comprises strips fitting into said slot and locking a stay inserted into the inner end of said slot against removal.

5. A system according to claim 4 in which at least one said locking strip is inserted in the slots of two adjacent sections.

6. A system according to claim 3 in which said second means comprises a plurality of pins driven into each said section and positioned to pass across said slot to pin in place the edge of a sail inserted in said slot.

flange is formed with a radial slot to receive a stay and said spacer is split to permit installation on said stay and which further comprises means to fill said slots.

10. A system according to claim l in which at least one said section has a greater circumference than others of said sections. 

1. A system for furling a staysail comprising a plurality of spool sections, each said section formed with a longitudinally extending central aperture to receive a stay and a longitudinally extending slot extending inward from the periphery to the central axis of said section along the length of said section to receive an edge of a sail, first means for rotatably mounting said sections end-to-end on a stay to rotate in unison with said openings of said sections in alignment, second means for fastening said edge of a sail to each of said sections along the length of said section, and third means for rotating said sections about said stay to furl said sail.
 2. A system according to claim 1 in which the ends of said sections are formed with mating tongues and grooves, whereby torque applied to one said section is transmitted to the next section.
 3. A system according to claim 1 in which said longitudinal slot is dimensioned to accept said stay, said slot also forming said central aperture.
 4. A system according to claim 3 which further comprises strips fitting into said slot and locking a stay inserted into the inner end of said slot against removal.
 5. A system according to claim 4 in which at least one said locking strip is inserted in the slots of two adjacent sections.
 6. A system according to claim 3 in which said second means comprises a plurality of pins driven into each said section and positioned to pass across said slot to pin in place the edge of a sail inserted in said slot.
 7. A system according to claim 1 in which said third means comprises a drum fixed for rotation with the lowermost of said sections and a furling line wrapped on said drum.
 8. A system according to claim 7 in which said drum comprises upper and lower flanges and a spacer between said flanges.
 9. A system according to claim 8 in which each said flange is formed with a radial slot to receive a stay and said spacer is split to permit installation on said stay and which further comprises means to fill said slots.
 10. A system according to claim 1 in which at least one said section has a greater circumference than others of said sections. 